Boom! Boom! Boom...
Somewhere in the dungeon, a thunderous commotion echoed nonstop. Hulim and Little Semiris were racing through the dungeon, fleeing for their lives.
Behind them, a colossal figure smashed through the rocks in its way, chasing them relentlessly.
“I knew something would go wrong!” Hulim shouted in frustration.
A plan with practically no planning, plus far more dangerous creatures than expected—put those two together, and trouble was inevitable.
“It’s just an accident! Definitely an accident~! Little Semiris will think of something!” Little Semiris defended herself.
“Oh right! Little Semiris has a plan! Hulim, run to the right!”
“The right? Are you sure?!”
“Super sure! Hurry!”
“Roar——!”
The giant beast behind them was closing in fast; even the terrain wouldn’t slow it down for long. Hulim didn’t hesitate—she followed Little Semiris’s direction and swerved right. The beast immediately changed course to follow.
The chase went on like this for a while—until suddenly:
“Roar!!”
A roar burst out right in front of Hulim.
“??? Little Semiris?! ” Hulim froze.
This was an escape route? It felt more like jumping straight into the enemy’s mouth!
“Hulim, quick! Hide this way!” Little Semiris warned urgently.
Hulim darted to the spot she indicated, narrowly dodging.
Thud!
At that exact moment, the heavy footsteps that had been hounding them came to a halt.
“Huh? What’s going on...”
The beast chasing her had stopped dead in its tracks. And the new beast that had appeared ahead was also standing motionless.
“Hulim, be quiet! Hide quickly~!” Little Semiris whispered, lowering her voice.
Hulim did as she said, lowering her presence to the minimum.
“Roar!”
Suddenly, the newly appeared beast let out a roar—and charged straight at the one that had been chasing Hulim.
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“Roar!!”
The pursuing beast roared back defiantly, then charged forward too.
Bang——!
A violent tremor shook the ground. The two giants crashed into each other, roaring, biting, and tangling up in a fierce brawl.
“Now’s our chance! Hulim, sneak away with Little Semiris!” Little Semiris murmured.
Hulim nodded. She followed Little Semiris, weaving around the battlefield and putting distance between themselves and the fight. Before long, the sounds of battle faded behind them.
...
The dungeon was so dim that it was impossible to tell the time or their exact location. Everything relied on Little Semiris, who knew the way.
This wasn’t a monster maze or a sealed labyrinth—it was an ancient dungeon, far older than most ruin dungeons. It housed many powerful beings, but unlike typical dungeon monsters, these creatures hadn’t been “created” by the dungeon. Instead, they’d lived here for generations, for reasons unknown.
They had their own ecosystem, and each guarded its own territory. It was thanks to this that Hulim and Little Semiris had made it to the deepest depths...
“Hulim, we’re here~!” Little Semiris announced.
Hulim looked up—they’d reached the dungeon’s lowest level.
“Little Semiris, is this the place you mentioned? It looks kind of like the Dungeon Lord’s chamber...”
In front of her stood a temple-like outer wall, pressed against the rocky cliffs around them. In its center was a massive stone door—strikingly similar to the one they’d seen in the shortcut earlier.
“That’s right~! Inside, there’s the strongest guardian of this dungeon! Its job is to protect the Seven Luminaries—the dungeon’s core!”
“Ehh?!” Hulim gaped.
“Then how are we supposed to get the Seven Luminaries? If the Dungeon Lord’s there, it’s impossible, right?”
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine~!” Little Semiris replied confidently.
“That big guy usually sleeps outside. It never goes into the core chamber where the Seven Luminaries are. We just need to sneak past it, go straight into the core chamber, and take the Seven Luminaries!”
“Hulim, follow Little Semiris—Little Semiris knows how to get around it!”
At Little Semiris’s signal, Hulim followed her to the edge of the temple-like wall.
“Found it, here!” Little Semiris traced glowing runes in the air with movements Hulim couldn’t understand.
Immediately after, a magic array lit up on the wall before her. Then, the rock at the array’s location sank inward, revealing a narrow passage—just wide enough for one person to squeeze through.
“All set! Let’s go in, Hulim~! Oh, and be careful once we’re inside—if that big guy finds us, we’re in trouble!”
“I know.”
Hulim lowered her aura to the lowest possible level and followed Little Semiris into the passage. After walking through it for a while, they passed through the wall and entered the interior.
The space inside still had the ancient temple style, with a vast, open hall. A gigantic Black Earth Dragon lay asleep in the middle of the hall, looking like a black stone statue.
Hulim and Little Semiris were positioned high up on the wall, near the ceiling—where a tiny, well-hidden passage ran along the edge. You’d never notice it if you weren’t looking closely.
To avoid the sound of flapping wings alerting the sleeping dragon, Little Semiris landed directly on top of Hulim’s head. Hulim moved forward inch by inch, taking the softest steps possible to avoid making a sound.
Slowly but surely, she finally reached the back of the hall...
There was no path ahead. Hulim looked up, and Little Semiris flew off her head. She darted to a section of the wall, traced more glowing runes in the air—and a magic array appeared on the wall before her.
Rumble.
A faint rumble sounded, and a hidden passage opened up. Hulim quickly glanced back at the Black Earth Dragon. It still lay motionless—apparently, it hadn’t noticed the noise. She let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Thank goodness it’s facing away from us...
“Hulim, come on—it’s right up ahead~!” Little Semiris whispered, waving her over.
Hulim nodded and followed her into the hidden passage. Shortly after they entered:
Rumble.
The passage closed again, letting out another soft rumble. At the exact same time, the Black Earth Dragon sleeping in the hall twitched its eyelids...
